Tough Decision

I made the decision to dismiss a young man from the program the other day. Really, he made the decision on his own by his actions, but it made it no less easier. He was 18yrs old and had graduated 4-5 months ago. He is a great kid and I have found that I miss seeing him around. Decisions such as these have many things you have to take into account: integrity of the program, standards of the program, the other men in the program, what is best for the man....ect.ect. After praying I made the choice to dismiss this young man and it has left me feeling a bit guilty and responsible. I know that it was the right decision, but I am still human and I grew attached to the guy. He was my favorite guy to talk to and he was a joy to be around daily. It is hard putting your feelings, attachments, and emotions to the side and making such a choice. The thought in addictions recovery for me is that if you make a decision to tell someone they have to leave they are most likely not going to do the right thing....cause they weren't doing it in the first place. It is somewhat of a heavy burden knowing what someone who was in addiction might goe back to. The hope is that they make the right decisions from here on out. Telling someone to leave sometimes is the best thing you can do for someone to bring reality to them that they aren't doing or thinking right. This guy was such a cool kid, only 18. I miss him being around the house.